Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

In the dynamic ecosystems of Long Island's East End, the tension between human development and wildlife conservation plays out daily. Suburban sprawl, increased vehicular traffic, coastal pollution, and habitat fragmentation have rendered the region's native species vulnerable to a wide range of anthropogenic threats. While many residents admire the area's biodiversity, few fully understand the ways their behavior, intentional or not, catalyzes ecological harm. My work aims to bridge that knowledge gap.
I am an environmental journalist and columnist with Dan's Papers, the largest-circulation publication on Long Island, with over 1,200 distribution points across the Hamptons, Manhattan, and greater Long Island. Over the past two years, I've published more than 30 articles spotlighting the intersection of human activity and wildlife suffering, focusing on raccoons, deer, turtles, seabirds, foxes, raptors, and other species impacted by pathogen transmission, chemical exposure, habitat encroachment, and physical trauma.
This project began with my volunteer work at the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center, where I observed firsthand the influx of animals suffering from lead toxicosis, vehicular collision trauma, monofilament entanglement, and rodenticide poisoning. I soon realized that the public rarely sees these effects, or, if they do, they lack the context to recognize their own role in the broader ecological equation. I began writing to make that connection clear.
My journalism focuses on scientific accuracy, accessibility, and emotional resonance. I've reported on the rise in canine distemper virus (CDV) outbreaks among raccoons, a zoonotic pathogen spreading rapidly due to population stress and urban encroachment. I've written about avian mortality linked to botulinum neurotoxin outbreaks exacerbated by warming waters and shoreline contamination. I've also chronicled dramatic wildlife rescues, such as a deer that crashed through an ice sheet on Big Fresh Pond, and the coordinated community efforts that saved it.
Each article is backed by field interviews, ecological research, and collaboration with experts. I regularly consult wildlife biologists, veterinarians, and rehabilitation professionals to ensure accuracy in my reporting. These partnerships also allow me to translate complex environmental science into compelling narratives, without diluting the underlying data. The team at Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center provides access to case studies and field notes, while local environmental groups and scientific advisors have helped explain intricate processes like disease vectors, trophic cascades, and neurotoxic pesticide exposure.
While public education is a long-term endeavor, the results of this work are both observable and impactful. After my articles on lead poisoning in raptors and rodenticide use in residential areas, multiple community members reached out to say they had switched to non-toxic alternatives. Following a piece about the dangers of monofilament and fishing tackle, several coastal clean-up initiatives reported an increase in participation. My stories have been discussed on large platforms such as NPR's WLIW and Newsbreak, extending their reach to audiences in the millions.
This isn't just journalism, it's behavioral intervention. Through storytelling grounded in science and framed by empathy, my work challenges the normalization of wildlife harm. Readers have begun to internalize the cause-and-effect relationship between their actions and ecosystem disruption. Many have changed how they drive, dispose of waste, or allow pets to interact with their environment. Wildlife centers have noted increased donations, higher volunteer turnout, and more informed calls from the public, tangible outcomes sparked by greater awareness.
My writing is not centered on advocacy slogans or abstract theories, it's rooted in verifiable field evidence and local consequences. These animals are not symbols; they are sentient organisms, each embedded in a complex web of ecological relationships now under pressure from human disregard. Whether it's an eastern box turtle displaced by suburban lawn expansion or a red-tailed hawk convulsing from second-generation anticoagulants, their injuries reflect our choices.
At its core, my project aims to democratize ecological knowledge. It invites people to reconsider what "environmentalism" looks like, not just as protest or policy, but as small, daily decisions that determine the survival of the species living alongside us. My goal is not only to document suffering but to help prevent it, one article, one choice, one informed reader at a time.